“Yep!”
“Alright, I’ll be sure to be back in time to come take you to that.”
“Orrr, you could just stay out with Evan on his bike, and let me justborrowthe car, so Colton, Petro, and Aspyn can come with me instead… It's game one of the playoffs! I know you support me, but you don’thaveto attend all of my games though, you know. Besides, half the time you don’t even get to watch; you get roped into Snack Shack duty.”
“If I stay out, won’t that leave supervision of the campers a little understaffed?”
“Pfft!” She waves me off. “Kids, schmids. JK! It’s movie night tonight. We’re going to set the projector out and get it ready. I already schmoozed Sherri into just keeping an eye on them with the rest of the crew. Sully said he’d stick around too and arrange an epic trail mix bar and popcorn for the movie.”
“They agreed to all that on their night off?”
“Uh, duh,” Morgan huffs, rolling her eyes. “They both said they were more than happy to. All I had to do was ask. Did I ever tell you I think they’re secretly dating? Super cute, by the way. I feel like I've been shipping Sherri and Sully for years.”
I snort. I believe it. That would explain why they both choose to reside in the staff cabin over the summer, while most of the rest of the workers choose to commute from their nearby homes. Good for them. They’re both in their fifties and single; they deserve happiness.
“Well, we gotta get back! Remember, you can take the night off too, Dad! Go have fun! Love you!” Morgan trills, pulling me in for a hug. When I hug her back, she whispers in my ear, “Aren’t you wearingEvan’sCarhartt hoodie?”
I freeze with her in my arms, feeling a flush creeping up my neck. She just giggles, hauling Colton back down the trail with her.
“They’re gone,” I let Evan know after watching them descend the path, out of eyeshot. Morgan is perceptive as all get out, so it shouldn’t surprise me that she picked up on the sweatshirt. I also know her well enough to know that she is mature enough to not blab about it.
But what about Colton? Did he also notice the same thing? After all, it’s a popular enough hoodie. I could own one like this, couldn’t I? I’ll fret about the grease stains on it later, if he questions me about it, I guess.
Evan crawls out of the tent and sits on the ground next to the stump I’m sitting on, waiting for the water to boil. I half expected him to come out, ready to tear down camp and bolt, but no. Instead, out of all the places to sit, he chooses to sit, back on the stump, between my legs. He peers up at me. “Thanks for covering for me,” he says.
I shrug, looking down at him. “Probably not the best way for him to find out, like this. You’re still figuring yourself out. Don’t rush the process.”
Then, since he seems to be in no rush to run away, I get an idea. “Would you want to come with me today?” I ask him. “It’s a Pride festival, but, uhh, it’s… small. The community around here really loves that my mothers got this thing going though, so it’s a mostly supportive atmosphere.”
“I—I don’t know…” Evan hesitates. There it is. The fear creeping back in again.
“No pressure,” I tell him. “I can go, and just come back to let her use the car. It’s fine, we do this all the time.”
I rub his shoulders, allowing him to relax into me. He rests his head on my inner thigh, groaning as I knead into the knots. “That feels good.” He rolls his neck a little. “You’d make an excellent masseuse, if being a shrink who owns a summer camp isn’t your calling, after all.”
I snort. “I’m not a shrink. I’m a clinical social worker, there’s a difference, and it is my calling. I love it here. If it’s one selfish thing I’ve done, it’s own this camp. Well, co-own. Kai, of course, wants me to admit it's a sinking ship. But when I see the look on the campers' faces, when I hear the progress they’ve made in their sessions, it’s worth it. I feel like I’ve made a difference. I have a hard time putting a price tag on that, unlike Kai.
“He never had to struggle watching any of his sisters fall into a mixed-up crowd, like I did mine. He doesn’t know the toll grief can take in the aftermath, because he’s never really suffered from it. He lives a charmed life, blissfully unaware that experiences like the campers get here, at Camp Healing Waters, can alter your trajectory—taking heartbreak and turning it into good memories.”
“You do good work. I’ve seen the way you get through to those kids,” Evan notes, spinning a little to regard me better. “Colton came to talk to me yesterday, before the storm. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” He quirks an eyebrow up at me.
I pull my lips in between my teeth. “Nope,” I reply, popping the ‘p.’
With his tongue in his cheek, he replies. “Uh huh. So, suddenly my boy has goals and ambitions, a vision that he just needs to tell me about, breaking his vow of silence and contempt he has towards me? He just decided to initiate that conversation… all on his own?”
“I know nothing.” I bite my cheek, trying to contain a prideful grin. I’m happy Colton actually took my advice again. “What are his plans?” I ask.
“He wants to go to art school, and then maybe become a tattoo artist. It seems thatsomeoneconvinced him that his art was something he should pursue.”
“Sounds like that someone is a brilliant person…”
“Must be his girlfriend,” he says with a know-it-all smirk.
I roll my eyes, but don’t correct him on the ‘girlfriend’ part. Morgan andColty-doodlehave made incredibly fast friends, for sure, like they’ve known each other for ages. EvenIthought they were an item at first, but that just goes to show you how well Colton and Nikolas have been keeping their relationship hidden. It makes my heart hurt a little for the two of them. They already missed one prom together. Colton told me he skipped it because he wouldn’t feel right going if Nikolas couldn’t be his official date.
“Maybe,” I say, in lieu of a definitive response.
“Well, that’s a little awkward…”
